Stop Female Genital Mutilation

As part of the "Stop FGM: international campaign for eradicating the practice of female genital mutilation 2002/2003", launched by the international associations Aidos and No Peace without Justice together with eight African NGOs and the European Network for the Elimination of Harmful Practices, the conference "Stop Female Genital Mutilation" was organised on 10-11 December in Brussels, to launch an appeal against this practice.

The appeal was sponsored by MEPs Mary Banotti, Emma Bonino, Anna Karamanou, Elena Valenciano, as well as Rashida Al Hamadani (Director General of the National Women's Management Committee, Yemen), Mame Bassine B. Niang (Minister-Commissioner for Human rights in Senegal) and Edna Adan Ismail (Minister of Family Affairs and Social Development in Somaliland).

Signatories to this appeal requested:

1) Heads of State, governments and parliamentarians in countries where FGM is practised to guarantee respect for the rights of women and girls and to introduce legislation that would consider FGM as a violation of fundamental human rights;

2) that governments and parliamentarians in host countries harmonise the legislative framework on FGM and consider the possibility of granting residency permits and protection to victims of this practice and recognising the rights of asylum for women and girls who are at risk of undergoing FGM